Google drops off most trusted companies list

Looks like users are beginning to call into question Google and it's motto of "Do No Evil." Google is no longer considered one of the U.S.'s most trusted companies for privacy, according to an annual list compiled by the Ponemon Institute and Truste. While Google came in at No. 10 last year, it's dropped off the list completely this year. But what's surprising is that it was ever on the list to begin with.

The new list keeps American Express at No. 1, followed by eBay, IBM, Amazon and Johnson & Johnson to round out the top 5. But no Google. Although Google tirelessly tries to push its "Do No Evil" agenda, bankrolling everything from sites that track the flu, to research to fight AIDS and SARS, it's hardly a consumer privacy advocate. Everything it does, from its attitude toward keeping personally identifying information from searches to snapping and posting photos of private homes on StreetView, underscore the fact that its attitudes toward privacy leave a lot to be desired.

Google did (finally) add a privacy link to its homepage, but users who go there can easily be overwhelmed by its varied and detailed privacy policies. In addition to a main privacy policy concerning Google in general, Google lists 31 different applications, along with their 31 different privacy policies. Wouldn't it just be easier to admit that Google tracks everything you do and everywhere you do it?

So it makes sense that Google didn't make the privacy cut this year. Now the question remains: How did Amazon and eBay make it into the top 5?

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